I Wish Nevermind
by Blackened Ink
Summary: Danny didn't realize what simple little words can do and what regret it brings. To be changed into a child and in the hands of his enemy! Danny has to be dependent on someone he could never trust, until his survival was on the line. What is he do to? Who is he to turn to? Who is willing to help him? I do not own DP
1. The Wish That Changed His World

**Hey! All I have to say is enjoy and review! BUT READ THE BOTTOM**

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**Chapter I : The Wish That Changed His World**

"You're late," said Mr. Lancer, as Daniel Fenton walked into his classroom with a semi-noticeable limp. It was only noticeable by his friends because they were the only ones who cared, while his teacher and other classmates didn't. Danny had a small cut right below his left eye and his right hand, which he wrote with, was bandaged up, due to Skulker slicing it with a knife, last night. His excuse?

Running with scissors.

No one really cared for the poor boy, not even his parents. They were too caught up in their own work, which they failed at miserably. And his sister, well she was too busy deciding which college to go to. She was always smart, reading big books and learning long division, when she was only four. She always cared about education and psychology. She did care for her brother, but was simply too busy.

Danny, on the other hand, was failing every class, since last year, but no one knew why, except for him, his best friends and sister. Danny was the town hero, fighting ghosts 24/7, skipping meals and classes, not doing homework assignments, failing the tests, and protecting people, who some think he's still evil. He doesn't know why he continues to do it, but it just makes him happy, except when he remembers about school and starts stressing out again.

"Detention, again," Danny said, not even bothering sparing Mr. Lancer a glance. The over-weighted teacher lifted an eyebrow, somewhat concerned for Daniel and somewhat surprised by his reply.

"So, class, that is how Arthur "Boo" Radley became known as a horrible and mysterious person," he said, writing on the green chalkboard.

BBBBRRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGGG!

The students stood with smiles and thanked the Lord that class was over. They collected their bags and didn't pay attention to what Lancer said about some homework assignment.

Danny didn't move an inch, only tracing a cartoon in his notebook. Mr. Lancer felt a little guilty for all the detentions and punishments he gave the boy. He did try his hardest to make it on time for class, but it was impossible. That was when Lancer noticed his hand and eye, giving a slight gasp. What had the boy been doing? Was this his parents work or was it his own?

"Mr. Fenton."

Danny looked up, surprised. "Yes?"

"You may go home," he gave him a small smile.

"Really?" Danny asked, getting out of his seat.

Mr. Lancer nodded and stopped him before he could leave the doorway. "Finish that assignment!"

"Will do, sir! Thank you!" Danny shouted back. "Woohoo!"

Mr. Lancer lifted an eyebrow, but quickly shook it off and chuckled at the boy's silly actions.

Danny met his two friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, at his locker, ready to go home and go out for patrol.

"Lancer let you out?" Tucker asked, Danny nodded in reply.

"Lemme guess…" Sam started. "Box Ghost?"

Danny shook his head, "Lunch Lady wanting to give me a good lesson about eating a healthy lunch."

"Yikes, didn't again?" Tucker asked, as they opened the double doors of freedom.

Danny nodded. "I'm sick and tired of detentions and barely even having three meals a day. My parents don't even care, that I've lost like 30 lbs, then again, they never notice," Danny grumbled, kicking a pebble and sending it across the pavement.

"Still obsessed with Jazz and the ghost inventions?" Sam asked.

Danny shrugged, "Obsessed is a weak word for that. More like it's their life."

Sam took Danny's hand in her and blushed. "Sorry, but we still care, we'll always be best friends."

"Yea, dude," Tucker exclaimed with a smirk. "We've always got your back, when a ghost or your parents kick your butt."

Danny smiled. "Thanks guys. Now, who's up for pizza and a movie?"

They tilted their heads. "No patrol?" Sam asked.

Danny shook his head. "No patrol, let's spend the night, just the three of us."

* * *

Later that night, when Danny arrived home, his parents were yelling in the kitchen, probably arguing about a new invention, that didn't work. Danny rolled his eyes and started to march upstairs, when Jazz, who had her nose buried in a book sitting on the couch, called for him.

"No patrol?"

Danny shook his head. "No ghosts either. Pretty strange," he said, then flinched, when his parents shouting increased. "Another weapon?"

Jazz shook her head. "No. It's about you," she answered, not missing a beat.

Danny blinked. "About me? Why?"

"Lancer called," she said, dropping her book. "They wanted me to announce when you got home."

Danny groaned. "Please, Jazz, don't. Tell them I didn't feel good and fell asleep."

Before Jazz could open her mouth, Maddie's voice hollered for Danny. Danny winced, dropped his bag on the stairs and shuffled into the kitchen.

"Yes, mom?" Danny asked.

Maddie narrowed her eyes at her son, not noticing his cheek, hand or leg. Not noticing the bags that were forming under his eyes. Not noticing his slouch, as though he worked in a coal mine.

"The school called. Danny I can't believe you. What makes you so late for class? Why have you been skipping your homework and flunking your test? We raised you better," She sternly said.

Danny's hands clenched, his eyes held fire. He was starting to get angry. "You didn't raise me at all! Jazz was the one, who took care of me. Who took care of my cuts! Who gave me breakfast, lunch and dinner. My sister is practically my mother! She's cared for me, when you were too busy with your 'job'," he said, using air quotes. Jazz, who heard the whole thing, walked slowly in the kitchen.

"How dare you, young man?! I am the one, who gave birth to you! I held you in my womb for 9 months and went through all that pain to have you!" Maddie shouted to him, pointing a marker covered finger at his chest.

"I didn't ask to be born. Just because you gave birth to me, doesn't mean you did your job as a mom for me! I've went through sleepless nights, waiting for you to tuck me in, for you to tell me you love me! I had to go to Jazz for comfort," Danny yelled, "Now, all you do is criticize me because of school, but really you don't care! You only care for your smart, amazing daughter! Not your slacking, 'lazy' son!"

"We do care, maybe if you weren't lazy, we wouldn't be having this chat!"

"Because you don't understand!" Danny said, huffing away the tears, that almost slipped from his face. Jazz placed a hand in her brother's and tried calming him. She loved him so much, she hated seeing him this way. She knew her parents didn't understand, though she understood Danny's frustration.

"Don't understand what? That you're too busy playing video games and going out with your friends to do homework? Because if so, I do understand! I was in high school, once too, you know," Maddie asked, stepping forward, while Danny placed one back.

"No, you don't," Danny whispered, turning around and going upstairs.

"Where are you going? We are not done!" Maddie said.

Danny turned around, faster than Maddie expected. "I'm going upstairs. We are done. I have things to do."

"Daniel James Fenton! Why are you acting like this! This isn't you!"

"Maybe it is, have you ever got the chance to know who I really am!?" Danny asked, but Maddie said nothing. "God! I wish I was a child again, I wouldn't have to worry about school or you or even ghosts!" he screamed, running upstairs, shaking with anger. He slammed the door shut, not realizing the ghost hiding in the shadows, in the corner of his room.

"Why me!? Why is it always Danny Fenton?" he whispered, as he fell asleep, not bothering to worry about the homework. Who cared?

"So you have wished it, so it shall be…"

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**Tsk Tsk. Bad idea, Danny**

**Danny : What do you want from me? I was frustrated, besides, who wouldn't want to be a kid? You don't have to worry 'bouts anything.**

**Me : I hate school too, I wi-want to be one. Life sucks more, when you get older. Anyway, off that topic. I hope you guys liked my first story. I'm thinking I'll finish this in like 10 chaps? but Idk what to write next. That's where you guys come in.**

**Danny : ... Wait? Why do they get to decide what happens to me?**

**Me : Because... uh... I don't know what to do *smiles sheepishly and blushes* ANYWHO, please Review.**

**Danny : Yea do that and tell us how bad Alexia writes**

**Me : *Thumps him on the head* Shut up! I need to know if you guys like the story or nah! Thanks and Btbubs I'm new and so glad to be part of the FanFiction :)**


	2. You did it?

**Chapter II : You did it?**

Vlad Masters woke up and after a shower and breakfast, he trudged his way to his private study. He was going to have another work filled day and it was going to be as boring as ever. But he doubted he was going to get any work done. He was so distracted, thinking about the conversation he and that wishing ghost, Desiree, had. She was oddly curious of what he desired, being very cryptic and listen to him ramble on all night. Vlad told her his desires and how he wanted Daniel to be his son. He knew he was never going to have that. No matter how many wishing stars he wished on. Or so he thought...

* * *

Danny woke up and looked around. Nothing seemed familiar or right. Where was he? It was nice and warm, with a fireplace and many books. He was sitting on a fuzzy brown couch and wanted to snuggled in it again. But his eyes widened, why was everything so big? And why was he wearing blue footie pajamas? He hopped off the couch and walked to the double windows, but he too small. He jumped up and down to reach the window sill, but to no avail.

He huffed and looked to the desk, which was piled with papers. He climbed on the chair, after many attempts and sat on his knees, moving papers to find any clues. Just contracts and files. Wait, files! Maybe they have some names.

He tried reaching for a paper, when his pajamas caused him to slip on the leather chair and fall to the floor. His childish instincts kicked in and he began to bawl.

Vlad scrunched his eyebrows and made his way to his office. He opened the door and heard a child's cry. When he walked behind his desk, he was met with big baby blue eyes.

Danny sniffed. "Wha oo do me?" he said, narrowing his eyes. His tongue not working how he wanted it to. Danny had finally realized what happened. He was turned into a baby!

Vlad scoffed. "Honestly, boy, how would I have done this?" he said, as he picked him up. Danny squirmed and kicked, not wanting to be held by Vlad. "Stop moving, Daniel, you'll fall."

The boy stopped and huffed. "Why I wike dis? Di oo do dis two me?" he asked, trying to move his body as far away from Vlad as possible.

"I don't know, Daniel, and I did not do anything to you. Did you do or say anything that resulted you in turning to a child?" Vlad asked, not caring for Danny's actions.

The little boy shrugged and squinted his eyes, remembering what happened. He gasped, remembering.

"Daniel? What happened?" Vlad asked.

Danny gulped, "I figh my mommy and wissed I was a tild, atain, bu I no see Desseway, was nigh."

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose, somewhat irritated by Daniel's language, though it was easier to understand than, when Jack spoke nonsense. "So, you think Desiree did this?" The little boy nodded. Vlad stared into the boy's eyes, before his lips curled into a evil smile. He had a thought in his mind and a plan was hatching. Danny wasn't sure he was going to like it.

"Wha oo tink, fwuitwoop?" he asked, shying away from Vlad, again.

"Nothing, dear boy. Nothing you need to concern yourself with," he said, with a pat to the raven hair and he set him down.

"Anyfing tat oo do, I concewned wit," Danny spat back, crossing his arms and pouting. Vlad couldn't help, but let out a chuckled.

"You can't do a thing to stop me," Vlad retorted, walking out of the study. Danny hopped on the balls of his feet, then groaned, following his scheming 'Uncle'. Danny was having a hard time learning how to walk, since his body was different. He stumbled every other foot or so, tripping on his pjs.

"Whewe oo woin'?" Danny asked, stopping at the stairs banister, holding onto the pole.

Vlad sighed and turned. "Checking to see if anything else was changed," he said, simply, then picked up the protesting boy. "Calm down, Daniel. I'm just taking caution."

Danny glared at him. "Oo no wan me weaving," he pointed out. Vlad nodded and continued down the hallway, with the squirming boy.

At one point in their walk, Danny had almost fallen to the floor, if Vlad hadn't caught him upside-down. Danny saw everything upside down as Vlad continued to walk and not fix him, holding him by his ankles.

"Vwad! Pu me wight!" the boy demanded, swaying back and forth.

"I told you, multiple times, that if you kept moving, I was going to drop you," Vlad said, coming to a stop at a door that was cracked and had blue light spilling from it. He opened the door and found the room redecorated to a child's touch.

The room was painted a dark blue, with white carpeting. The windows had black curtains and the walls were stacked with shelves, holding spaceship models and photographs. A white crib with baby blue bedding sat on the right side of the room. Toys filled the toy chest at the end of the bed and books littered the bookcases on the other side of the room.

The two gaped. "Vwad?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

Danny swallowed, "D-di oo do dis?"

"No, no I did not," he answered, setting the child down. Danny walked around the room, as Vlad continued to study it, from where he stood. Danny opened the closet door and found it was a walk in, full of one to two year old sized clothes.

Vlad took everything in. Where did all this come from? Who could have made this in less than a day and make it quietly for that matter? He would have heard it surely. He made his way over to the crib and felt the wood, then picked up the stuffed toy badger that sat on the pillows. This was his dream room, if Daniel had been his true son.

A scream coming from the closet alerted Vlad that something happen to Danny. Before he could move an inch, his ghost sense went off and he turned to his ghost form. Desiree came out of the closet with Daniel pushing himself away from her, just like he did with Vlad. The wishing ghost had a smirk on her face.

"Desiree, what are you doing here?" Vlad asked, moving closer to the two.

"Well, I thought I'd come and check up on you two," she said, ruffling Danny's long raven hair. Danny stuck his tongue out.

"Really, Desiree, why are you here?" Vlad asked, taking the boy in his arms, who just wanted to be left alone. Plus he did have his own two legs!

Desiree folded her hands. "Fine, I'm here to see if I got the brat out of my hair," she admitted, putting venom on her tongue.

Vlad lifted an eyebrow, "So you really are the one that turned Daniel into a toddler?"

"Duh, who else?"

"I wiss-" Danny opened his mouth only to have it closed again, by Vlad's hand.

"Don't bother," Desiree laughed. "I can't undo wishes that have already been made."

Danny's eyes widened! What?! He couldn't ask to be turned back to his teenage form? He was stuck like this! He was so infuriated by the stupid ghost, he started shaking. Twin rings formed around his waist and transformed into a little Danny Phantom.

Desiree laughed, while Plasmius grinned. "Honestly, Ghost Child, do you really think you can take me down?" the wishing ghost challenged.

Danny quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "Iwissedoowouldwoaway!" he quickly said, before Vlad was able to cover his mouth.

Desiree snarled. "So you have 'wissed' it, so it shall be," she said, before chuckling madly and disappearing. Danny let out a sigh and slumped in Vlad's arms, his eyes drooping. Didn't he just wake up minutes ago?

Vlad chuckled and repositioned Danny. "Well, Daniel, it looks like we're in a bit of a predicament."

The boy yawned. "Dat is an undwustamen," he mumbled.

"I guess that's true, but since you're already here and a few states from your home town, I'll be watching you," Vlad announced and Danny straightened more.

"Nwo! I don wan oo two do dat," he said, but all that hate disappeared and was replaced with exhausted, as his eyelids fell back down.

"Well," Vlad said, laying him in the crib. "You don't have a choice and right now, I think someone needs a nap," he commented, but Danny didn't want to and flew above his head, wobbling.

"I nwo," he yawned, "sweepy..."

Vlad smirked, then took the child by his leg and pulled him down, forcing him to change back to Danny Fenton. "You're also a terrible liar, even in your childlike state, Daniel," he said, pulling a blanket up to the boy's chest.

"Oo ust tewwible," he said back, shutting his eyes.

"Even your exhausted is keeping you from your witty banter," he chuckled. Vlad sighed and ran a hand through Danny's raven locks. "Have a good sleep, Daniel."

Danny didn't hear, he was already asleep, having a nightmare hidden within his memories.

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**I'm sure you guys didn't need any translations right?**

**Danny : Well, even I could barely understand what _I _was saying**

**Me : Maybe its cause you have a D in English.**

**Danny : What does that have to do with anything? **

**Me : *groans* Nevermind, thanks for the awesome reviews by the way. I was having a tough day on Thursday and those really gave me a smile.**

**Danny : *rolls eyes and crosses arms* I have a bad day everyday, get over it. Anyway, Reviews would be great and while you guys question the next chapter Imma take Alexia for some ice cream**

**Me : I don't need ice cream and if you think I'm depressed I will suck you in the Fenton Thermos for a week**

**Danny : *giggles nervously and runs away* **

**Me : *growls, then smiles at the audience* Now, then like the bonehead said, I would love the reviews and tell others about me. Give me a shoutout and I'll give you one. **


	3. Suspect 1

**Chapter III : Suspect #1**

When Jazz woke up the next morning and went to check up on her brother, she did not expect what happened when she opened the door. The room was… clean and… straightened. Danny's bed was made, there wasn't any candy wrappers on the floor, his clothes weren't hanging out of his draws, but there was something out of place in the abnormally neat room.

"Danny?" Jazz called, looking around the room. She spotted a note on a pillow. She walked over with eyebrows scrunched and unfolded it. "No…"

**I wish… I was a child...**

Jazz scrambled to pull her phone out and dialed Sam's number.

"Jazz?"

"Sam, something's happened. Call Tucker and meet me at the Nasty Burger in 10," Jazz simply said.

"I will, Jazz, see you soon," Sam finished, hitting the off button.

After Jazz's shaking hands calmed, she rose from Danny's bed, grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She ignored the loud bang from the lab. She jumped in her car and rushed to the Nasty Burger.

Sam and Tucker were already in a booth silently arguing to each other. Jazz bursted through the doors and slipped in across the two.

"Jazz, what's wrong? Where's Danny?" Sam asked.

Jazz took a deep breath and took out the note. "I was checking up on Danny this morning, but when I opened the door, his room was clean. I mean you could see the floor! Then I saw this note on his pillow," she said, handing the two the note.

Once they read it, Sam crumbled it up. "We know who it is."

Tucker furrowed his eyebrows. "We do?"

Sam smacked him upside the head. "It's Desiree, stupid," she said, then turned to Jazz. "Did Danny say anything last night?"

"Yea," she nodded, "He and my mom had an argument about school, again. He said, and I quote, 'God. I dot dot dot I was a child again, I wouldn't have to worry about school or you or even ghosts'." She did not want to try herself and became a child as well, facing whatever fate Danny had.

"Oh my god," Sam whispered, putting a hand to her forehead. "Desiree turned Danny into a baby, a kid. He could be anywhere! He could be, he could be…" she trailed.

"No," Jazz jumped. "Danny is out there and someone is taking care of him. We just need to find who."

"How?" Tucker asked, slouching in his seat.

Jazz gave a small smile. "My parents."

Sam and Tucker shared a look, while Jazz crossed her arms and leaned back.

* * *

Danny woke up, dazed and confused. What was the last thing he remember? Something happened to Desiree and he was with Vlad… He looked around and noticed he was in the crib in the room he and Vlad had found. He also noticed he was still in his pjs and there was sleep in his eyes. He yawned and rubbed them away, then looked to the spaceship clock and it said it was well past noon. The boy's eyes widened and he hopped up in the crib. He had two ways out of this.

1.) Go intangible and slip under the baby bed.

2.) Climb over the top and fall about three feet down.

He was going to go with the latter of those choices. If he used his ghost powers, he would be exhausted again and he did not want to take another nap. So, the boy gripped the top of the crib and with his strength, managed to pull himself up and over, falling to to the floor with a small thump. He groaned and rubbed his padded bottom.

He walked to the door and poked his head out, looking up and down the hallway. Coast was clear. Danny walked out and down the corridor, looking for anything that could get him out of the place of a madman. He walked down the huge flight of stairs. Gasping, he tripped over his feet and tumbled down 15 steps. He bit his tongue, to stop from bursting out. The pain was coming from his head and his leg, ricocheting up his body. Danny whimpered and tried to stand up, only to fall back down on the stair.

It was the exact time a woman, in her late 30s, with strawberry blonde hair and brilliant green eyes, to walk by and see the child. She gasped and saw the tears forming in his eyes. "Oh, you poor thing. Where did you come from?" she asked, picking him up and soothing him.

Danny whimpered and curled up. He refused to speak. One the pain wouldn't let him and two if he did, he would bawl out crying. He tried pushing the tears back, but his stupid childish instincts didn't allow him to.

"It's ok, sweetie. Let's go find that man. I'm sure he has a clue," she said, making her way towards the study.

She knocked and opened the door. "Mr Masters? Do you know who this is?" she asked him.

He looked up and cringed. Oh, how he tried to forget. How impossible that was. To just ignore it all. He hadn't even realized his advantage in all this. Being able to fake Danny being his son. Until a second later.

He stood. "Well, Amarie, he's..." cue evil smile. "My son."

She was becoming suspicious, turning Danny away from the billionaire. "Excuse me?"

"My ex wife," he immediately covered. Danny winced, from both pain and Vlad's lie. "She recently died and I found out I had a son," he explained.

Amarie felt slightly guilty and suspicious. The man seems a little old to have a kid and she had never heard of him having a one night stand or ever leaving the house to go to a bar. "I see, well if he is your son, you can take care of his hurts," she said putting Danny on the floor. He looked up to her with pleading eyes.

"What do you mean his hurts?" Vlad asked looking over the baby boy, who held his head down and eyes closed.

"I saw him fall down a flight of stairs, Mr. Masters," she furiously said. He was acting like a careless, clueless 'Father' and a complete jerk.

"I'll make sure he's alright, Amarie. You and the others can go home for the day. I'll be taking a day off as well," he announces to her, picking up Danny, who tensed under his touch, and setting him in his big black office chair. Amarie hesitated, before scooting out the door and rushing down the hall.

Vlad was about to check the boy for any further injuries, but was cut off. "Nwo tus me," Danny snapped, getting down off the seat and backing away from Vlad. He winced when his head and rib started to throb. He held his right side.

"Honestly, Daniel, stop being so stubborn and let me help you," he snapped and stepped closer to the toddler, only for Danny to take two steps back. Danny almost laughed at that stupid quote. What was it? 'One step forward, two steps back'. The older hybrid growled and threw up a dome around the boy. If he wasn't going to cooperate, Vlad wasn't going to play fair.

Danny gave a small snarl and banged weakly on the pink dome. "Vwad dis no fair!"

Vlad chucked and knelt down to the boy's height. "On the contrary, Little Badger, it most certainly is," he said, then stood and sat at his desk.

"Oo no weave me here, I have nofing to do," Danny exclaimed, kicking the dome only to fall back on his bum, crying out in pain.

"That's not my problem is it," he retorted and the child gave a visible pout. "Oh, don't give me that look, Daniel." He then wondered what the boy was doing before the maid found him, he realized something. "How did you get out of the crib?"

Danny blushed and played with his hands, mumbling, "I… hop over."

"You 'hop over' what?"

He gulped and squeaked out, "Te waiwings. I es-escapet," he tried pronouncing. Why wouldn't his tongue let him speak properly?!

"Escaped, Daniel. You hopped over the railings and walked out?" he asked, fury hidden in his voice. Danny put his head down and nodded, not wanting to look Vlad in the eyes. "Why would you put yourself in danger like that?!"

"I nwo wanna be here!" Danny said, before Vlad could question him further. Vlad wasn't shocked by this answer, he knew full well what Danny wanted. To be his normal self, in his normal home.

The billionaire got up from his chair and the dome disappeared. Before Danny could stand, he was lifted off the ground with a yelp and into Vlad's arms.

He was about to protest when he held his head in his hands, biting back a cry. His head was hurting worse and worse as the time ticked by. This was much worse than any headache he ever had. He body tensed and Vlad could feel it.

He sighed and walked out the door and to the kitchen. He set the one year old in the black and white highchair. He then leaned back on the counter tops, watching Danny struggle to get out of the stupid constricting chair. "Are you done?" he asked the panting child.

"Why oo even care?" he retorted. "Wha oo pwan two do wit me?"

"Can't I get any trust from my godson?" Vlad asked, trying to pull the innocence act.

Danny snarled, "I fourtween, not on! Oo ust wan two wuin my wife!"

It was Vlad's turn to get angry. "You sufferable little brat! I am trying to help you. I hate this situation, as much as you do. If don't want my help, then fine," he said, taking the boy out of the chair. Danny's little heart was racing, his muscles tensed, and tears almost leaked down his face. In all his days as Phantom, he would've never, ever, ever thought something as little as Vlad yelling angrily at him, would've sent him into tears. But he never thought he would've been turned into a baby either.

Vlad hadn't looked into the boy's eyes to see his fear. He simply walked towards the foyer, opened the front door and sat the boy on the front step. The entire time his face was emotionless, he slammed the doors shut and locked them. Danny quickly got up and twisted the handle, but it stopped midway. He slammed on the door, screaming for the billionaire to open up. He yelled until his throat was dry and he couldn't see straight because of tears.

He gulped air, as he fell and curled into a ball. Light flashed in the sky and within seconds heavy rained poured three feet away from him. Danny yelped, his entire body trembling. He felt so cold. The rain and wind mixed with each other, sending little drops of water in the boy's direction. In minutes he would be soaked. Now, Danny wished he was with his friends, hanging out his family room, drinking soda and watching movies. He wished he was sitting right next to Sam and Tucker, talking about ghosts or how annoying their classmates were. He would give anything to take back that fight with his mom, to hug her and say how sorry he was.

"I want to go home," he whispered and fell asleep on the front porch.

* * *

**Hi!**

**Danny : Don't play with the readers, little miss clueless.**

**Me : Fine. I'm sorry I haven't posted. Holidays times are horrible. Especially when I have 5 thousand tests this week. But I swear chapter four will be up tonite as well. Chap 5 will be posted next week end, or during this week. Happy?**

**Danny : Thank you, but you still have to make up for this chapter.**

**Me : *smiles evilly* Oh don't worry about that, pudding.**

**Danny : Pudding? **

**Me : Trying new nicknames, sorry. **

**Danny : Whatever. Please leave a review.**

**Me : Bye bye! **


	4. New Surprises

**Chapter IV : New Surprises**

"Jazz, did we really need to get up in the middle of the night?" Sam complained in a low whisper, glaring at the older girl.

"My mom and dad are heavy sleepers and I can just say I left early for the library in the morning. Besides, there's no good time to really get the lab," Jazz explained, creeping down the lab stairs with Sam and Tucker trailing behind.

"What do we do first?" Tucker asked.

"Let's charge the Specter Speeder up and search around the Ghost Zone. Someone's got to have a clue on Danny's whereabouts. We just have to make sure we don't run into Desiree or say the words she's so fond of hearing," Jazz told them, packing the Speeder with supplies.

"And if we have no lead?" Sam asked, hopping in the front seat and pulling out the map Team Phantom had made of the GZ.

"I don't know. Let's just see what we get from this trip and go along with it," Jazz said, brushing off her hands and climbing in. Tucker took driver's seat and started up the vehicle.

Sam made a silent, sleepy prayer, in hopes to find Danny.

* * *

A few car doors slammed shut and several gasps and profanities woke up the little baby sleeping on the front porch. Danny was quickly picked up, before he even opened his eyes. The maids were back. Could it already be tomorrow? Danny thought, as he looked at all six women angrily talking to each other. He soon realized they weren't mad at each other, but at the billionaire living the royal house.

"The nerve!" one with red hair and green eyes said, softly looking down at the exhausted, dirty babe.

"What cruel father would dump his kid outside of his home? For all we know, he could've wondered off. Oh my god," a blonde hair, blue eyed whispered, putting a hand to her mouth.

Danny stomach grumbled. He hadn't eaten in over 24 hours and it had decided to start hurting and cramping up. He groaned and clutched his stomach.

"I'll get him something to eat. In the meantime, you all do something that doesn't require running into Mr. Masters. Amarie, will you assist me?" the one holding Danny said. Amarie, the women from yesterday nodded. Four of the maids separated down different hallways, as Amarie and Isabelle made their way to the kitchen with a messy and hungry boy.

Isabelle sat him in the highchair, but he squirmed in her grip, grabbing onto her sleeves. Amarie giggled, "It looks like he's grown attached to you."

Isabelle pulled Danny back into her arms and held him so their eyes meet, "Aren't you hungry, little man?"

"Neah," he said. Now his tongue was hardly working or moving the way he wanted to. Speaking was becoming a difficulty. Isabelle giggled and rubbed their noses together. Danny giggled out of instinct.

She sighed and sat in a chair, Danny in her lap, as Amarie made him a bottle and one of those pouches that held mushed food.

Amarie giggled, as Danny licked his lips. "It seems like he hasn't eaten in days," she said, handing her friend the dish and a spoon.

"What are we going to do with Mr. Master?" Isabelle questioned.

Amarie sighed. "I'm not sure, Belle."

"Maybe I can be of assistance," a soft voice echoed throughout the room. Belle and Amarie turned to see Dora. Yes, Dora, as in the female ghost who has an amulet that can turn her into a ghost and she's the queen of her own kingdom.

A few months back, Dora was looking for help to take her brother down. She heard of a man named Vlad Plasmius and that he was a hybrid, living in the human realm and how he owned a portal. When she arrived and searched through the halls, she stumbled upon the two maids. They were scared out of their minds. They had never seen a ghost before.

She had assured them both she was kind and wasn't going to harm them. Since they had clear heads, they took her word. Every now and then, Dora would visit because she liked their company. She didn't have many ghost friends, due to her brother, but she was grateful for the ones she did make. Even if they were human.

Amarie and Belle listened to Dora talk about the Ghost Zone and her ruthless brother. They didn't understand her pain, but they made her feel welcomed.

But all her brother talk had stopped, after Danny Phantom had defeated him and made him powerless.

"Dora," Amarie smiled, rushing to hug her. "Quite the surprise. What are you doing here?"

The Queen shrugged. "I thought I'd visit and heard you had a bit of a problem," she answered, looking towards the starved child. She gasped, when she saw a faded aura around him.

"Dora, what's wrong?" Amarie asked, grabbing Dora's pale green hand.

She blinked. She vaguely remembered the secret of the hybrids to human. "Nothing. I just thought he looked familiar," she lied. "What's his name?"

"When I was straightening up his room, I saw the name Daniel on one of the photos," Belle answered. "By the way, it's good to see you, friend."

"You too, Belle," Dora replied.

Danny whimpered, as he looked to the bottle. The three giggled. Dora floated over and picked it up and took the child in her lap. Danny hadn't even acknowledged her until now. He stared at her with those bright blue eyes. He grabbed her index finger with his tiny hand.

Snap! Dora turned to the two, Amarie was holding a camera. The dragon ghost glared, with a small smile. "What? We're just trying to capture the memory!" the maid defended.

"You know how I feel about pictures," Dora said, getting up from her seat. Danny hiccuped his response.

"Well, now that the little guy is all fed, let's get these dirty clothes off him," Belle said, taking Danny and leading the two up to his room. "Dora, would you mind picking out an outfit for him?" she asked, setting the boy on the changing table.

"Not at all," she said, floating towards the walk-in closet and searching the racks for the perfect outfit. She walked out of the closet and called for the two, "Will this do?"

She held up a red and white striped onesie with soft, black pants and red socks. Danny inwardly laughed, while the two nodded and quickly changed Danny's diaper. He wasn't too keen on the idea of that, but Amarie popped a pacifier in his mouth and gave him a small sockmonkey toy to keep him entertained.

After he was changed and dressed, Amarie and Belle went looking for the rest of the group, so they could give Mr. Masters a piece of their minds. Dora had stayed in Danny's room with him. He had looked exhausted and one little thing could've sent him over the edge.

"Daniel, is it really you?" Dora asked, playing with his hair. Danny looked up and gave a slight nod. "I was afraid I would blow your secret, if I said anything," she said.

"Fank… oo," he whispered, snuggling into her dress and closing his eyes. He had fallen fast asleep. Dora kissed his head and tucked him in the crib, then settled down in the rocking chair.

"Ready, girls?" Belle asked. The five other maids nodded and she opened the door to Mr. Masters study.

"Ladies, so glad of you to finally join me. I have chores for you to do," he said, not looking from the newspapers.

"They're already done, but we have a matter we need to speak with you," Belle said, crossing her arms.

"What would that be?" He muttered, sipping his coffee.

"Your 'son'," Amarie snapped. Vlad lifted his head and looked taken back by the angry looks in the six pairs of eyes staring at him.

"W-what about him?"

"He was found outside of your house this morning. Any idea why?" Alex, another maid, said.

"He must've escaped."

Morgan, the blonde haired maid, scoffed. "Would believe that, if he was a teenager, Mr. Masters. A one year old doesn't know how to run away," she said.

They do, if they have the mind of one, he thought, standing up from his desk. "I assure you, ladies, I care very much for my boy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to see him," he said, making his way towards the door.

"He's already taken care of and if you think you can send him out of this house again, you're out of your mind," Belle said, between gritted teeth.

"And why is that, hm? This is my house, woman. I do as I please," he hissed.

"Not if you don't want to go to court," Amarie said. "We can put many things against you."

"Not if you want to keep your jobs," Vlad retorted.

"You pay minimum wage, I can get a better pay working at a middle class house," Krysta, the one with red hair, countered.

Vlad clenched his hands and growled. He could be done with them in a second, but it would be very suspecting if six women working for him, didn't return to their families one day. If he fired them and tried to hire new maids, these six would tell others their experience. He had been furious with Daniel for not being grateful he was trying to help him. He didn't think twice about sending him outside with no help or care from anyone.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he snapped.

Belle smirked. "When we're not here, we want you to actually care for him. Feed him, change him, give him attention, be a father," she answered, as each of them started to file out. "We'll leave you to your work, Mr. Masters," she said, shutting the door behind her.

Each one of them separated. Krysta and Alex off to the washroom, Morgan went to the kitchen, Mariah went to clean the other rooms, and Amarie and Belle went to check up on Danny and Dora.

The two smiled, as they saw Dora asleep on the rocking chair and Danny asleep in his crib. They quickly left, but not before taking a photo. They decided to wait until they awoke to inform them of Mr. Masters.

The sound of the door opening violently, woke Danny up from his dreamless sleep. He pulled his head up and yawned. When he opened his eyes, everything was blurry. There was a tall figure above the boy, but Danny didn't think anything of it, as he rubbed his eyes and smacked his lips. The figure picked up the child and pulled him close. They chuckled at the boy's messy dark hair, that was sticking up with every strand.

The figure's eyebrows furrowed. The boy seemed smaller than the last time he was seen. His clothes were hanging off of him, as though they were one size too big. His small hands unconsciously clutched the person's clothes.

The two walked out of the room and down the stairs. As they rounded the corner, they almost ran into Amarie and Belle.

"Mr. Masters, we were just about to check up on him," Amarie stuttered over her words, surprised Vlad had actually went to check on the babe.

"Yes, well I've been thinking about our… earlier discussion and realized I needed to pick my act up," he told them with a grin. Belle smiled.

"Do you need us for anything else?" she asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

He shook his head. "No, I think that's all. If you wish to go home, you may," he said.

The two smiles on the women's faces grew. "Thank you, Mr. Masters. We'll be back tomorrow," Amarie said, gathering her stuff. Belle followed suit. "And don't you forget, Mr. Masters, we have eyes all around," she warned, waving goodbye and closing the front door.

Danny rubbed his eyes and blinked. The blurriness from sleep was gone and he could make out that Vlad was holding him. He gasped and shrunk away. His heart racing with fear, as his bottom lip quivered.

Vlad looked down at the boy and was taken back by his response. That's when he noticed the fear and hatred in his bright blue eyes.

"Calm down, Daniel. I'm not gonna hurt you," he said, walking over towards the living room and sitting down on the couch across from the fireplace. Danny scrambled out of his arms.

"I oh na dab," Danny said, crushing his back into a throw pillow.

Vlad lifted an eyebrow. "What was that?" he asked.

"Ov ee am tee," Danny responded the same baby gibberish. A day ago he could make out semi perfect sentences, now he can't form any at all!

Vlad leaned over and put his elbows on his thighs, rubbing his temples. "Oh dear God," he whispered. Was the boy reversing his age? Was his aging process reversing? He shrunk. His clothes aren't fitting him and he can't speak a proper sentence. Fortunately and unfortunately, he still had his fourteen year old brain. "What are we going to do with you?" He turned towards the still cowering baby.

Danny had gotten his heart in control, but he was still trembling. What was Vlad talking about? Helping him change back to a teenager should be his first priority, but what was he dear Godding for? Did he not know how to change him back? Danny also didn't understand why he couldn't make words anymore, or why his clothes felt baggy. His pants were falling towards his chubby knees and his sleeves were up to his fingertips.

He looked up, questioning Vlad. The man saw the questioning look in the boy's eyes and answered, "You might be reverse aging, Daniel. Whatever spell Desiree put on you, cursed you to turn backwards, instead of forwards."

The moment was cut off by a low rumbling sound. Danny bit his lip and blushed. Vlad turned to the boy and saw him with his hands on his stomach. He rolled his eyes and reached for the boy, but Danny shied away from his touch.

"Daniel," he said, watching the younger of the two eyes dart back and forth. "I'm not gonna hurt you," he promised, but it seemed to genuine for Danny to believe.

The boy stuck his pinky in the air, the universal sign for promise. He couldn't speak, so what better way to say it? Vlad rolled his eyes with an amused smile and linked Danny's finger. Then he picked him up and brought him to the kitchen.

Once Danny was sat in the highchair, Vlad had no idea what to feed him. He searched his pantry and found Fruitloops. Uh, ok... no. He picked up the box of cheerios, opened it and dumped some on the tray of the baby chair. Danny eyed them, it was better than mushed baby food.

"What else do you give a baby?" he whispered. Danny looked up to him. He's a rich billionaire and he has no idea how to feed a baby? The child then had a brilliant idea and started moving around the circled cereal. He popped a few in his mouth.

"Milk? Sounds cliche," Vlad said, but at that very moment, a bottle and box of formula appeared behind Vlad. Danny knew who it was and luckily, their ghost sense didn't go off, due to Dora's amulet.

Danny pointed and the rich man turned, raising an eyebrow. That wasn't there a second ago... was it? Oh well, Vlad made the bottle and gave it to Danny, but not before pulling the child's lip down to see his gums. The little Ghost Boy pulled away and popped a few more cheerios in his mouth.

Two teeth. If Vlad's memory served him right, Daniel had four teeth when he first found him. His teeth were also in the process of reversing his age. How far will it go? Until the boy is merely a day old? Vlad inwardly groaned. How was he going to explain this to his maids? They surely wouldn't believe him if he said the boy had a rare case that caused him to reverse his age.

Danny finished the cheerios and burped, blushing a deep crimson. Vlad looked over to the clock. It was late and he was so exhausted he wanted to curl up in his bed, but he had a kid to take care off. Danny had woken up barely two hours ago. He picked up Danny, bottle in his small hand and walked to the nursery.

"I know you're still awake, but I'm not," he said, laying the kid in the crib. "You are going to have to make use of your time. Goodnight, Daniel," he said, shutting off the light and closing the door.

Danny stuck the bottle in his mouth and sucked it. He contemplated his situation. Sure, Vlad was his archenemy, but he was the only one who could help him turn back into a teen. He didn't like it very much, but it was the only hope you had. What if his friends and sister were looking for him? Did they think he was kidnapped? Or killed or anything like that? He could hardly shut his eyes and sleep, but the sound of a soft lullaby from Dora lulled him to sleep. She hadn't left his side and probably wasn't going to until he was returned to normal. But just before the babe fell asleep, one question that stuck in his mind, haunted him for awhile.

_Did his friends and sister actually care?_

* * *

**Hey! This is the longest chapter yet and hopefully others will be this long. 3,000 words! WOOHOO**

**Danny : I thought you said you'd post this last night.**

**Me : Yea, but that was before my brain was on a roll. It stopped right after I got halfway through this chapter.**

**Danny : That sucks.**

**Me : Yup, and I got a great idea for this story and I'm really afraid of losing it.**

**Danny : There's this thing called paper and pencil.**

**Me : Yea and there's this thing called a book. You read it and it gives you knowledge.**

**Danny :... shut up**

**Me : Anyway, hopes you all liked it, I kinda trampled through this chapter so it might seem choppy or something. I took some ideas from you guys and I thank you all for them. More Reviews would be sooooo nice. **

**Bye Bye**


	5. Puzzles Solved

**Chapter V : Puzzles Solved**

"Its been hours, Tucker. We should really get back, we've got nothing and probably won't find anything," Sam said, crossing her arms and leaning back in the seat.

"Calm down, Sam. I'm just as tired as you and… wait a second," he said, turning to Jazz. "Why did we search the Ghost Zone first?"

Jazz shot her head up from looking at the map, "If Desiree had anything to do with it, maybe it involved other ghosts. He does have many enemies."

"Yea," Sam said turning in her seat, "But he doesn't have many enemies that want him as a baby to take care off. More like to…" she sliced her finger against her throat, sticking her tongue out.

"Ok, so how many ghosts don't want him dead?" Jazz asked.

Tucker gave the wheel to Sam and pulled out his PDA. "According to Danny's files, all want to take over the world, eight want him dead and six want him for capture, to torture make him suffer, blah blah blah," he said, scrolling through the list.

"Name the ones that want him alive," the goth started to get antsy and cranky. Her stomach hurt, her eyes burned and she was getting a mega headache.

"Ok ok. Ember, Walker, Freakshow, Vlad, Nocturne, and Ghost Writer," Tucker listed off.

"I got nothing," Jazz admitted.

"Yup," Tucker added.

A moment of silence passed over the group, as they neared the portal.

"OH MY GOD!"

"What is it, Sam?" the other two asked in unison.

"How could we be so stupid!? Desiree makes a wish come true and turns Danny into a kid. Who's one person we know, who's a lunatic, kidnapper, killer, fruitloop and above all… WANTS DANNY AS HIS FREAKING KID!" Sam practically screamed into their ears. Tucker and Jazz rubbed their heads, as Sam sat panting, looking towards them for any realization.

"My God," Jazz whispered. "The answer was right in front of our face. How did we not see this before!? Let's go get my brother back!"

Sam restrained her. "We can't go into Vlad's expecting to grab Danny and head out. We don't know the layout of the house, what Danny looks like or what Vlad may be up to. We need a plan."

"Well, lead us oh Sam of the Very Vegan," Tucker smirked. Sam smiled and rolled her eyes, punching him in the shoulder.

* * *

"I have two meetings today and they both require me to head into Amity for the day. Can I trust you ladies to keep the house intact, until I return home?" Vlad asked, fixing his suit and grabbing his briefcase.

Morgan had Danny on her hip and smiled. "Everything will be alright, Mr. Masters. We will not leave, until your return. Besides, it's not like we burned the house down before," she said, but then all eyes turned to Mariah, who smiled sheepishly and blushed. Ok, so there was this one time…

"Alright then. I should be back after dinner. Daniel should be in bed and asleep when I arrive," he informed them, opening up the door. "Goodbye, Ladies. Goodbye, Daniel and be good," and he was off to Danny's hometown. The boy rolled his eyes at his last comment.

"Seeing as it is only nine, why don't we start the chores and take shifts watching Danny?" Krysta suggested. They nodded in agreement.

"Since he is more comfortable with me and Belle, we will take the first shift," Amarie said, taking Danny in her arms. The other four scurried off.

"Nice excuse," Belle said. "Now, let's get him fed and changed."

"It is quite odd how his clothes no longer fit him," Amarie pointed out.

"Maybe he stretched them. Are you a rough little sleeper?" Belle asked, tickling the baby's side. He squealed with delight.

"His sleeves come down to his fingertips, his pants don't fit him and his socks are practically hanging off his feet," Amarie said, "I don't think he stretched them."

"He did not," Dora confirmed, sighing as she appeared next to the two. They were about to ask her, but she cut them off. "I was watching him, secretly, and overheard Vlad saying something about his age. I'm pretty sure he's… what's a simple term?... Shrinking," she said, playing with Danny's hair. Danny smiled and gave her a nod, one only she could see.

"But how is that possible? He is a normal baby, isn't he?" Amarie asked.

"I don't quite know, Amarie," Dora lied. The two looked to each other and shrugged.

Danny tried to clap, but it was very muffled with his sleeves, and laughed, falling over. Amarie caught him at the last minute.

"He's quite active today," Belle said, watching him squirm in Amma's grasp. The older maid gave up and set him on the floor. First thing he did was tug and flail his sleeves around. It was getting annoying. Sure he was used to baggy clothes when he was trying to cover up his scars and bruises, but it was like he was drowning in his clothes.

Dora was watching him, with an amused smile, as Amma and Belle began to plan out the chores for next week.

"Danny," she called to him. He turned with a small smile. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

He smacked his lips together, then flailed his arms again, whining. The dragon queen giggled and picked him up. She walked up the stairs and to the child's room, after she told Amarie and Belle where she was going. She sat him on the changing table, gave him the sockmonkey and walked to the closet. Dora pulled out a pair of white and green footsies that would fit him.

She watched him play with the stuffed monkey for a moment. The monkey was almost as tall as him. Yesterday, he was a head taller than the sockmonkey. Danny was laying down with the puppet's head in his tiny hands.

"Daniel," she said, taking off his shirt, "Why on earth would Desiree put a spell on you that reverts your age?"

He looked up to her and shrugged, then blushed madly. The Ghost Boy who saved the Queen from her tyrant brother and being trapped in the medieval times, was having his clothes taken off by the same woman. Obviously he didn't like it very much, nor did he feel comfortable. His grip tightened on the monkey.

Dora thought it was a little weird she was talking to the boy, and he understood, but could not reply. And she knew this, too. She was just so confused and lost at the moment and wanted answers. She couldn't go to Plasmius, if he knew she was here and visited, he would have a HUGE fit. The maids were sweet and trustworthy, but they could not know of the boy's ghost half. They would be kept in the dark.

She always thought of Daniel as a brother, younger of course, but now? Now she thought he was more of a son to her and not because she was taking care of him. Dora felt a strange bond between her and the halfa. When Daniel used to visit sometimes trying to figure his way in the Ghost Zone, he'd stop by her kingdom and have a chat over some tea. Dora liked those times, him telling stories of his adventures.

Once she finished putting him in the onesie, Dora put Danny, who was not releasing the sockmonkey, on her hip and went back into the kitchen. The maids were done planning out the next few days and were about to call the other maids, when the one and a half ghosts arrived.

"Aw!" The women gushed together. "He looks so adorable!"

Danny blushed and hid his face in Dora's shoulder and in the sockmonkey. The girls cooed even more.

"I'm surprised the other's are not here yet," Dora said.

Belle took Danny from Dora and answered, "We were just about to call them."

"Oh, well I'll be back later. I'm sure you girls will be busy for the rest of the day," Dora said, exiting the kitchen.

"Why are you leaving so early?" Amarie asked.

The Queen turned. "I've been here all night. I have a kingdom to attend to, as well. I'll be back before he's asleep," she said, quickly giving said boy a kiss on the forehead and then turned invisible.

Danny could still see her aura and waved a goodbye, with a smile. She did the same and phased through the floor to the lab.

Belle went back into the kitchen, while Amarie went to find the others. Belle put Danny in his highchair, which surprised her because she hadn't been able to do that the day before, and went to get him food. She stopped in her tracks. Didn't Dora say something about him shrinking or growing backwards? She turned back and pulled the child's bottom lip down.

One tooth.

He couldn't have hard food, he would choke. Belle was still confused on how the poor boy grew to the age of one, then reverses back to a ten month old in two days. She had never heard of a disease or rather anything that could create it. Belle sighed. She and Amarie could not tell the others, they would avoid their questions and concerns for his health.

Krysta, Mariah, Morgan, and Alex entered the kitchen with smiles on their faces. Amarie trailed behind a bit. Alex and Morgan immediately went to Danny and began cooing all over him. The baby turned red and stuffed the sockmonkey's head in his mouth. He had been quite tempted to turn invisible. Krysta and Mariah smiled and sat themselves at the table.

After the child had his breakfast, only after reluctantly giving in, the women split up to do their chores, while Belle and Amarie sat in the living room folding laundry. Danny was sitting in between them with a pacifier and a teddy bear. The TV was playing Looney Toons. Poor Elmer couldn't figure out what season it was.

Night rolled around quite fast for the household and it was soon Danny's bedtime. He hadn't taken a nap that afternoon and he was oddly sleepy. So he was glad it was late and he could just sleep through the night.

* * *

Something broke Danny away from his peaceful sleep, that he loved so much, as he was picked up and out from his crib. Firm hands underneath his body told Danny it was a someone, not something. And they had slim hands, but it didn't matter though. The boy wanted to sleep, so he curled into the clothes of the person holding him and fell fast asleep, once more. A sudden rush of cold air blew past the child. He unconsciously started to shiver, he was so cold. He curled up tighter.

The person holding the child, subconsciously, pulled him closer. They looked down at the boy and gave a small smile. He looked peaceful and calm. He looked innocent and sweet. Helpless. Small. And Perfect.

If only that were true.

The person smiled evilly down at the child. The little boy was deep-asleep, completely oblivious.

"I can't keep the security down for long. Get the child and hurry up!" another voice whispered from the doorframe, urging the person with the boy to hurry.

They looked up and ran out of the baby's room. "How much longer do we have?"

"Just enough to get us down to the portal. I just hope Plasmius doesn't find us," the other whispered, stalking down the hall listening for anything.

"Oh he already has."

The duo spun so hard, their neck cracked, but they were too filled with fear to realize it. The child in the smaller of the two's arms stirred, but did not fully awake. Plasmius was ten feet away from the two, but they could feel his anger and hate. They knew full well why Plasmius was so protective of the child, yet they break into his home, disable his security and try to kidnap the kid.

"You two are fools, thinking you can wiggle your way around my own home and steal the boy," he spat.

The duo had no comeback to that, nor did they stand down.

"What did you want to accomplish by stealing him, hm? Blackmail? Loopholes? My pain?" he hissed and took a step closer. The two unconsciously took two steps back.

"What we want with him is none of your business!" the female of the two said, her voice bellowing and forcing Danny to awake. He whined and started to cry before he even opened his eyes. The female didn't bother to calm him, instead glaring daggers at the red-eyed ghost.

Vlad growled. "Ember, give Daniel back right this instant. You have no idea what situation a certain someone put the two of us through. Only I can fix him," he said, trying to reason with her.

The blue haired rockstar pulled the baby closer. "What if we don't want him to be fixed? How do we know you're not lying?"

"You can ask Desiree. She turned Daniel into a child, forcing his aging to reverse," Vlad snarled. He had just about had it. If they thought they were going to leave with the ghost boy, they were mistaken. One second, Vlad was staring at them. Next he was replaced with purple smoke. One minute, Ember was clutching the crying baby in her arms. The next it was air. One hour and the two ghosts were thrown back into the Ghost Zone.

Danny whimpered as he curled up in Vlad's arms. The man was exhausted himself, blinking his eyes to keep himself awake. He had just taken on Ember and her boyfriend, Skulker for an hour. Teleportation and shields don't come without a price. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to soothe the headache forming in his head. He felt small hands grab his pajamas, in his human form, and shake.

Vlad caressed Danny's small head and rocked him, trying to ease the child. Soon, the older hybrid began swaying, barely keeping himself up. Giving in and becoming lazy, he brought himself and the baby to his room, where a bed, bigger than a king, sat on the far wall. Purple and black curtains hung from the three tall windows, the midnight moon shining through the glass.

The semi-conscious younger hybrid was laid down and curled into Vlad's chest, closing his eyes and sniffling behind his pacifier. He hadn't realize it and wouldn't ever. The man smiled softly, wrapping a protective arm around the baby and falling fast asleep.

* * *

**OH My! I'm sorry for the so late update. I've been sick and I have this school play that's been taking up most of my five days and the other two have been jam packed with family stuff.**

**I hope you guys enjoy it. Next one should be up before Valentine's. Luckily, this is my last week for my play and won't have to worry about it anymore. Maybe I'll add two more chapters in a day just for you guys.**

**Danny : Of course they deserve two, you've been keeping them waiting for weeks!**

**Me : And? Not my fault I'm always so busy. **

**Danny : ...Sure. Anyways, reviews are always helpful.**

**Me : As well as get betters, I just got sick again today and have two more dress rehearsals, before my play and I can barely use my voice and sound like I'm drowning in mucus.**

**Danny : *Grimaces* not a good image...**

**Me : Oh well, Love you guys, bye bye **


	6. Discoveries to Continue

**Chapter VI : Discoveries to Continue**

**_Ghost Zone_**

Jazz, Sam and Tucker were driving in the Ghost Zone the morning after they guessed Vlad had Danny. They were trying to come up with a plan all night, but came up with none. They decided they would need help and they asked the one person that would help the Ghost Boy in such a time of need.

Tucker landed the Specter Speeder on the island of their destination and the three hopped out. Immediately, they were swarmed by guards, who demanded to know who the humans were.

"We are Samantha, Tucker and Jasmine; friends of the Ghost Boy. We request to see Queen Dora. It's urgent," Sam said.

The guards backed off, a few recognizing the Goth from a few months before. They lead the three into the castle and the three found the queen in the throne room, working on something stressful.

"No no! These are all the wrong colors. Green and purple are too common. Do something more… bright and springtime-like," she told a woman with curly blonde hair and stunning pink eyes.

"Yes, your Majesty," she bowed and quickly left the room.

Dora slumped in exhaustion, before snapping her head towards someone clearing their throat. She smiled brightly and flew over to her three human friends. "Samantha, Tucker, Jasmine. It is so good to see you," she greeted them with a hug.

"The same can be said for you," Jazz replied. "But we need your help?"

Dora tilted her head. "With what, my dear?"

The three teens shared a look, before Sam answered, "Danny's been missing for a few days and we found a note saying 'I wish to be a child' or something along those lines. We believe Desiree overheard Danny wish for something he didn't mean and she took him to Vlad."

Dora blinked, before smiling. "I can assure you that Daniel is safe."

Teal, purple and green eyes widened. "Wait! You know where Danny is?" Jazz asked.

The queen nodded. "I am a regular visitor in the Master's mansion. I do have other human friends besides you three. Perhaps I should tell you what I know of Daniel's situation. Come let us go sit down. There is much explaining to do," she said and waved them over to the dining room.

There was a long, wooden table with tapestries all over the walls. A red table cloth sat elegantly on the table and the glass chandelier tinked lightly. Dora sat at the head, while Sam and Tucker sat at her left and Jazz at her right.

"From the beginning…" Dora started off. She explained how she was able to stay in Vlad's mansion without getting caught and what her connections were. She said how one night her friends were taking care of Vlad's son. She didn't believe he had a son, heck no one would. All the ghosts knew of his obsession with the Ghost Boy's mother. Anyway, she told them what Vlad's done and what was happening to their best friend.

"Danny's slowly de-aging?" Jazz asked, a look of disbelief crossed her face.

"If you do not believe me, I can retrieve photos from Isabelle and Amarie. They have dates on them and everything," Dora said.

The orange-haired teen shook her head. "I somewhat believe you, with it being Desiree and all."

The queen turned to the younger teens. "For saving him, I do not know what you should do. Plasmius's equipment will detect you the minute you arrive and I'm sure Daniel will not take kindly to someone, even his friends, kidnapping him in the middle of the night," she said.

"What if we did it during the day?" Sam asked, but Dora shook her head.

"If Sir Tucker can bypass his cameras, it's possible, but his security is higher than anything I've seen before. Even at Skulker's lair."

Sam ran a hand through her short hair and sighed uneasily. "There has to be a way to get him back."

Dora took Sam's hand with both of hers. "We will get him back to you, but we need to be patient."

"What about our parents?" Jazz asked.

"Do they suspect anything?" Dora asked.

"Not that I know of. As far as they know from what I've told them, Danny's staying at Tucker's for the weekend," Jazz answered her, nervously playing with her hair.

"Good, do not say anything otherwise. It may create some suspicion with the repetition of the excuse," Dora said.

"We could say it's a science project," Sam suggested.

"Alright, that's taken care of," Tucker said, "but we still have to figure out how we're going to get Danny and change him back."

"Changing him back is the biggest problem," Dora told them. They were taken back by her statement.

"Um, hello? The Wrath of Plasmius and all, how is changing him back the biggest problem?" Sam asked her.

Dora narrowed her eyes. "Do you know of a potion, or spell, to change a baby with a teenage mind back to a teenager?" she questioned. Sam looked surprised, before lowering her head to the side. "I didn't think so. For now, you three go on with your lives. I will continue to watch Daniel and find you an opening to get into Plasmius's mansion. You are to not speak about this to anyone, but myself and between you three. Alright?"

"Yes," the three said in unison and stood from their seats.

"Thank you for all your help, Queen Dora," Jazz said, bowing respectfully.

Dora lightly chuckled. "No need for that, Jasmine. I am happy to help you in your quests."

After the other two said their goodbyes, the teens left, a small weight lifted from their chests. They found Danny, but they needed to still get him back. It might take a while.

"Simon," Dora called to her advisor.

"Yes, my lady?" he said, walking up and bowing.

"I will be leaving for a day or two. I am putting you in charge and if I find anything wrong with this kingdom when I get back, it's off with your head," she informed him, then smiled lightly and walked away.

The advisor stood there stunned, before rushing off somewhere.

_**One Hour Later ~ Master's Mansion**_

Danny woke up with blurry eyes and a large yawn. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings, he felt an arm under his head and legs. Hearing several awes, he blinked and smacked his lips together.

"I'm quite surprised he slept in Mr. Masters bed, aren't you?"

"Of course! The two didn't seem very close when he arrived here."

Danny looked up and saw Belle's smiling green eyes. The conversation went over his head, as he slowly awoke. He cooed and the girls immediately gushed over the child.

"Don't attack the poor boy for being adorable."

Danny turned his small head towards the one person he was much familiar with. Dora sat on a chair with her legs crossed and hands folded. She had a soft smile on her face, as she looked at the little babe.

"Good morning, Daniel. Sleep well?" she asked, getting up from her seat.

The child yawned again and smiled. Dora chuckled and took him from Belle. "It seems we've all had quite a few surprises today."

"Yes, indeed," Belle beamed. "He grew - sorry, regrew - a tooth and another inch."

"Really? That's wonderful. Did Vlad give him anything?" Dora asked, bopping Danny on the nose. The little hybrid giggled and blushed.

Amarie shook her head. "Not that we know of. First he was shrinking, now he's regrowing. This boy is a magnet for research," she said, caressing the top of the boy's head. He looked up to her with curious ice eyes.

"What should we do today?" Belle asked, leading them down to the nursery.

"Well, it did snow last night. Maybe a day outside wouldn't hurt, right?" Amarie suggested, opening the door and allowing the other two to enter first.

Dora giggled, gathering the attention of the maids. "I think he likes that idea," she said and the two looked down at the child in her arms, practically bursting with laughter.

Danny's sea blue eyes were wide and twinkling. He looked up at them with a pleading look and a happy smile, three teeth showing their way through his gums. His hands were sloppily folded under his chin, tilting his head slightly.

"Mmm, I just hope Mr. Masters has a snow suit for him," Belle said and walked into the closet, searching for the item.

Belle was still looking even after Dora and Amarie changed Danny's diaper. The baby boy was sitting patiently on the floor with just a diaper and the sock monkey, watching Dora, Amarie and Belle search for the single clothing item. Eventually they found it twenty minutes later, after Danny had gotten bored and searched with them, finding it himself in a bin on a low shelf.

"Well, that was a hassle," Amarie sighed, tugging on a black shirt, pants, mittens, boots, then the baby blue snow suit.

"Aw, he looks absolutely adorable!" Belle squealed, kissing the top of Danny's head.

The boy excitedly responded with unmanageable words and tried to walk to the door, only to fall on his back. Luckily, his suit was padded and it was a muffled fall. Dora giggled and put him on her hip.

"Walking is not an option in your attire, young Daniel," she told him. He snuggled his head on her shoulder and the maids giggled. The two changed into warmer clothes and brought Danny outside. Dora sat him in the snow and watched as he squealed in excitement. He felt a small flare in his core and looked up to Dora with a cheeky smile.

"Feel better, young one?" the dragon queen asked, kneeling down next to the boy. Danny motioned to the clothes and whined. "I am sorry, Daniel, but you cannot take it off of you, unless you want to blow your secret," she whispered to him, caressing his rosy cheeks.

Danny huffed and turned to the snow. He would not let a good day go wasted. With another squeal, he trudged in the snow and began to play with his element.

They let him stay out for another hour, before bringing him in for a snack and so he wouldn't freeze. Danny internally scoffed at that excuse. After taking a bath and changing him into warm, footsie pajamas, they went and sat in the living room.

Belle and Amarie were doing some laundry, while Dora occupied Danny, who was sitting on her lap. His nose was still a little red and his hands were still cold.

"I'm going to miss you like this," Dora whispered gently in his ear. He turned and looked up at her, curious eyes staring at her. "You are like the son I never got to have. It's sad too. I know that you'll change back and everything will go back the way things were," she continued.

Danny babbled and cuddled up into her warm, dragon core. She lightly fired it up and noticed the young babe relaxing into her. She smiled and caressed his thick strands of dark hair. The silky material soothing her depressing demeanor. She kissed his small head.

"Maybe things will be different when everything goes back," she thought aloud, watching the little halfa squirm to get comfortable and fall asleep in the queen's arms.

* * *

**You guys don't know how sorry I am.**

**Danny : Yea we really don't you've been gone for like ever. Making other stories that suck.**

**Me : *smacks him upside the head* Thank you for that positive comment, jerk.**

**Danny : I am sorry, but not sorry. You deserve it.**

**Me : Whatever. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. I have been busy with other things. Yes surprisingly I have a life outside of Fanfiction. I am sorry this chapter came like six months too late and I am hope to get chapter 7 and 8 up soon.**

**Danny : But she needs your help and if you have any ideas you'd like to see happen, share them and we might answer.**

**Me : First nice thing you've done to me today. Thanks! **

**Danny : Your welcome**

**Me : Please guys reviews and ideas are greatly appreciated. I love you guys and I am so glad that some of you have stuck with me even though I am as slow as molasses. Sorry this chapter is kinda short, but it's a filler and a cutie-Danny/Dora chapter. **


	7. Time

**Chapter VII : Time**

Danny woke up the next morning at around five am. He wasn't very tired and had wanted to explore what powers he could do. He knew phasing and invisibility was energy-draining and flying was probably difficult in the baby body. He decided to try his ice powers.

First, he reached down to his ice core and held a tiny palm out. A diamond icicle appeared in his hands and with quiet delight, he smiled. Next he tried to transform into his ghostly counterpart. The white halo had appeared around his small waist, but immediately dispersed.

Sighing dejectedly, he tried to do other abilities in his human half. Ice crackled onto his small fingertips, as he touched the bars to his crib and they froze on contact. Smiling again, he began to abuse his ice powers.

* * *

Vlad finishing tying his tie and shrugged on a suit jacket. Looking to the clock, it was only 6:30, but he had much to do before going to the office.

Walking down the hall, he went to check on his, hopefully, temporary guest. He reached for the doorknob, but released quickly when frost touched his hand. He looked at the door confused, it was bluer than it had been last night. Huffing angrily with suspicion, he gathered heat in his hand, melted the ice and opened the door. With wide-eyes, he stopped dead in his tracks and assessed the damage Daniel had done to his room.

The roof was covered in icicles hanging from the ceiling, the crib had a fine layer of ice and the floor had at least a few centimeter of snow. Stuff animals were glazed over and the curtains were frozen in their spot, black turned bright white. The only thing that went untouched was the maker himself.

A sneeze brought Vlad out of his thoughts and he looked down to see Danny on the floor wrapped in a blanket with a stuffed sock monkey, untouched by the snow, in his hands. His small body was shivering from his own powers.

Vlad hesitantly picked him up and brought him close to his hot core, keeping the child warm. An invisible force began to clear the room of it's white, winter surprise, as Vlad rocked Danny, watching everything disappear back to normal.

Danny sneezed and brought the blanket closer to his face. Vlad smiled slightly at the reaction, then frowned, catching the frost on the tips of the black hair.

"What on Earth made your powers act up like this?" he thought aloud, moving the cold boy outside and shutting the bedroom door. It would take a little bit before the frost melted. Might as well get Daniel warm and something to eat.

"Unless of course, you did that on purpose," Vlad muttered, entering the kitchen. Danny didn't say anything, in fear it would give something away. So he just dug his face deeper into the blanket, still shivering harshly.

Vlad suddenly had an overwhelming sense come to him, causing him to wrap the boy tighter and pull him closer. He had forgotten about the incident and was more focused on caring for the small halfa.

Danny huffed, wrinkling his nose as an itch began to grow. He closed his eyes and flinched as he released the sneeze. He felt horrible and suddenly wished he didn't use his powers. But he hadn't known that they would've affected him like this.

The rich man made a warm bottle, making it a little hotter, before settling down in the den. He sat on the closet chair by the crackling fireplace and pulled Daniel into the crook of his arm. He held the bottle close to the babe, but Daniel was stubborn and refused the only thing that would keep him healthy.

"Now, Daniel, do you really want to starve just to save yourself from such a silly embarrassment?" Vlad asked, patience running thin, but he tried to keep it intact.

Danny looked up with gleaming crystal eyes, before nodding slightly, then shaking his head. His tiny hands reached out for the bottle, opening and closing in a 'Gimme!' manner. Vlad let a grin form on his face, before lowering the bottle and allowing Danny to take it in his hands. The older man's hands brushed against the tiny ones and froze.

"Daniel… you're hands are freezing cold!" he exclaimed, rubbing the small appendages to try and eat them all.

The ghost boy nodded behind his meal, saying that he knew they were and it wasn't much of a shock to him. His hands were always cold due to his core, but if it got Vlad to pause, they must've been colder than he thought.

Vlad sighed, looking towards the wall clock. He had a meeting in an hour he was supposed to go to, but he didn't quite see the point in it. It was pointless. All he and his colleagues do is talk about their wealth, football and have brunch together. He hated having the stupid meeting every month.

The older halfa looked down at his temporary ward and smiled, actually genuinely smiled. Danny's eyes were dripping slowly down, exhaustion from his powers overcoming him an hour or so later. His grip on the bottle loosened until it lay in his blanketed lap. His head fell to the side, right on Vlad's shoulder, where he promptly curled up and fell asleep without resistance.

Well, maybe he could miss this one meeting. Daniel's health was more important.

Vlad slowly leaned further down on the chair and rested his head back, before shutting his eyes and lulling to sleep.

* * *

He opened his eyes and blinked away the blurriness. He turned his head and looked to the wall clock, reading **12:46pm** on the ticking machine. He had been asleep for almost six hours, longer than he had thought he would nap. He was probably exhausted from work and ghost business.

He moved to get up, when he noticed the little bundle sitting in his lap. Daniel was curled up in two fluffy blankets, still fast asleep and slightly colder than normal. He didn't remember getting another blanket for the child.

"You were both asleep and he was freezing cold," called a voice. He jumped and turned to the voice, nearly startled out of his human half when he saw Dora's soft, smiling face.

"Dora? What on Earth are you doing here?" he asked quietly, rubbing his forehead.

Dora looked down to her hands, hesitantly and afraid. "I have been here for weeks actually. I've been helping your female helpers and taking care of Daniel."

Vlad would have rose and jumped at her throat, if Daniel hadn't been snoozing away on his lap. The boy stirred, causing the man to settle down slightly. "How long have you been here and why are you here?"

"Rumors is what brought me here. I first arrived a few weeks ago, before Daniel came to you," Dora answered.

"Rumors?" Vlad tried to keep his voice steady. "What rumors?"

"I-I can't remember. It was long ago," the dragon queen stammered, taking a step back. She felt the waves of anger rolling off the rich man.

The baby boy stirred and lazily opened his eyes. With a yawn, he rubbed his baby blue eyes and looked tiredly at the two ghosts. Vlad gathered the boy and blankets into his arms and stood.

"Well, good afternoon, little badger. How was your nap?" Vlad asked, looking down to the Daniel with warm, yet icy cobalt eyes.

"Nummy!" the boy cried, hearing his stomach growl and feeling the pinch of hunger.

Dora giggled. "I believe after a long nap, food is needed," she said, disappearing into the kitchen to prepare a bottle.

Vlad was left alone with his godson. He watched Daniel rubbed his nose with a tiny fist and pulled the blanket closer to his face.

"Still ill, Daniel?" the rich man asked. The babe answered with a sneeze that made him bounce in the elder halfa's arms. "Oh my, seems it's yet to be over. Your powers have malfunctioned beyond your control this morning," he mused.

Danny grumbled something, sniffled and pulled the blanket over his head. Vlad chuckled, amused at the little boy with his teenage actions.

Dora came back moments later with a medium sized, warm bottle of formula. Danny whined, pulling his hands out of the security of the blankets and reaching for the food. The queen chuckled, taking the ghost boy into her arms and feeding him. She allowed him to hold the bottle for himself. Danny cooed happily behind the nub.

"Now, Dora, back to the matters before Daniel woke, what do you mean you can't remember?" Vlad questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, when you have, as you humans say, a lot on your plate, you tend to forget a lot of things. So I don't remember what they were. The messages stopped days ago," Dora answered, watching the ghost boy, instead of looking at the powerful, old halfa.

Vlad hummed, causing Dora to look up at him. She tried to read him, but his face was void of emotions. She couldn't tell if he was angry, confused or not amused. He stood by the dead fireplace, staring at the baby in the queen's arms, thinking.

"His hands..."

"What about them?" Dora inquired, looking down at the bundle. Daniel didn't take his hands or mouth off the bottle.

Vlad's eyebrows furrowed and he moved the pajama sleeves up on Danny's arm. It nearly swallowed the appendage. "They're smaller than they were. He's still shrinking," Vlad muttered, moving his forefinger under Danny's small hand. The child gripped it unconsciously.

"If he keeps shrinking, he will eventually be too small and his organs will shut down," Dora said grimly, rubbing her thumb on the back of Daniel's fragile head.

"He doesn't have long," Vlad said, squeezing his eyes shut.

Danny took the bottle out of his mouth and let it sit in his lap. He looked up to his godfather with concern and fear, he understood what they were talking about. If they couldn't find a solution, Danny wouldn't have long. What concerned Danny was the way Vlad eyebrows met and the redness that grew under his eyes. He looked as though he was fighting the urge to cry.

"Is there any ghost in the Zone that can help?" Vlad asked, opening his eyes and turning towards Dora.

"Desiree, but she's the one who did it. I don't believe she'd undo it," Dora said.

"T'ck t'ck! T'ck t'ck!" Danny chirped.

"Tick tick?" Dora asked confused, turning her head down to the boy.

"Like a clock?" Vlad inquired.

Dora brightened. "Like Clockwork!"

The dark haired boy clapped his pudgy hands, giving a toothy grin.

"Clockwork?" Vlad questioned. "What could he possibly do?"

Dora rolled her eyes at his arrogance and shared a knowing look with the baby halfa. He giggled in understanding, lightly kicking his feet. The queen turned back to the rich man. "He controls time, which means he can control the reverse spell Desiree placed on Daniel. He'll be able to stop Daniel from de-aging. He'll live," Dora explained happily.

Vlad's face turned confused to excited in a matter of milliseconds. He cheered, grabbing Dora's shoulders and crushing her in a hug, Daniel in the middle. He whined, when he felt too claustrophobic between the two ghosts. Vlad pulled away and looked sheepishly towards the baby.

"Sorry, Daniel, but that has been the best news I've heard in years," the elder hybrid admitted, unconsciously telling his godson something he'd never tell him in a million years. That he was happy Danny wasn't going to die.

Danny squealed, taking the forgotten bottle and putting it in his mouth, finishing the rest. Dora and Vlad chuckled at the boy's antics. It seemed someone had eased up on his nemesis turned caretaker. They looked up at each other at the same time.

"Let's go find Clockwork," Dora smirked, feeling successful and happy. Vlad nodded in agreement.

* * *

The two left not twenty minutes after agreeing they were going into the GhostZone and going to find Clockwork. Danny had been changed into a different pair of pajamas that were blue with white polkadots and a sock monkey on his chest and wrapped in his blanket. He was still sick, so he would stay in something warm and comfortable until he was better.

Vlad was holding his godson close to his chest protectively, hiding both his identity from others and protecting his face from the whipping wind in the green atmosphere. Worry gnawed at his chest, for the first time and years, and directed towards the boy of all people. It was an unconscious feeling too, he couldn't push it down and away, no matter how hard he tried.

With Dora on his left side, the two made their way through the GhostZone, until they finally made it to the all holy clocktower. The doors opened with so much as a breath as they landed just before them. Glancing slightly towards the other with suspicion, they entered the lair slowly, taking in their surroundings cautiously. Dora knew Clockwork very well, but he was seemingly more mysterious than usually that day.

The wandered over towards the timestreams, where the screens sizzled and screeched without memories to play, until a picture began to fade into view. Danny pushed his way through the blanket over his head and curiously looked over at the screen. His eyes immediately widened at the image.

It was his fifth birthday.

His parents had forgotten again, which wasn't a surprise in his life, even at such a young age. They failed to go to his school events for parents, didn't go to parent-teacher meetings and never remembered to pick him up from school or his friends' houses. Jazz, on the other hand, was always remembered. All through her seven years, even when he entered into the world as her little brother, their parents still gave her a lot of attention. It was a bit depressing for the boy to watch as he slowly fell back into a dark part of the world he didn't want to go to.

Jazz was an amazing big sister though, she always remembered things. She even learned to bake a cake for him on his birthday just to make it special, even if it was tiny. They ate it together, as their parents worked down in their basement, seemingly oblivious to their heartbroken son upstairs. Eventually their mother came upstairs to ask if they had seen a certain something, but didn't get to reply as she found it on the counter and made her way back downstairs. She hadn't given Danny a kiss on the cheek or a hug or a smile. She didn't ask about the baking supplies on the counter or the cake on their faces. Danny couldn't help, but tear up and jump off his chair, running up the stairs and slamming his door shut. He cried and sniffled all night, even after everyone had gone to bed, he was awake drowning in a misery a five year old shouldn't go through.

That year and the years following he didn't get a single present from them. Jazz, Sam and Tucker got him little things, feeling empathetic towards the young boy. Sam and Tucker had caught on to the fact that his parents were forgetting him by his seventh year. They had asked him what he got for his birthday, and he replied that Jazz had gotten that comic book he wanted, not having mentioned his parents at all.

Danny couldn't watch anymore, as each year on that day passed by. He turned his head away as fresh, hot, angry tears fell down his plump red cheeks.

"Oh, little one..." Dora cooed softly, feeling pity towards the halfa boy. Such a childhood to grow up with was unacceptable by her standards. How could his parents do that to him, but now seem concern with his well-being after being turned half-ghost?

"Pardon for the intrusive, unwelcome memory," a shallow, yet light voice called from seemingly everywhere. Clockwork appeared from behind the clocks with a solemn expression on his blue face.

Vlad growled. "What is the meaning of this, Clockwork? Why show the boy's painful memories?" he demanded, a hand resting on said child's back for comfort, as he began to shake.

"I control time, remember? Though his timeline has gone backwards, but still continuing forward, it's ever changing. I did not mean to show it to him. I had hoped that he wouldn't see them," Clockwork answered, eyes turned down to the quivering child being held by his arch nemesis. It was certainly a different sight, but he supposed it was good for the both of them to stop their childish fighting.

"I believe you came here bearing a question for me, do you not?" the Time Master continued, pointing his gaze at Dora, who had taken the boy in her arms, rocking him gently.

"Daniel's aging as been threatening as of late. When Desiree changed him, I believed he would have stayed that age and grown. Instead, he began to age backwards, then forwards, then back again. Is there anything you can do or any way you know of stopping it and allowing him to age properly?" Vlad questioned.

Clockwork hummed, gaining the attention of said little halfa. Danny turned his bright blue eyes to the ghost, hiccuping in Dora's arms. "P'ease he'p," he begged.

Clockwork stared at the boy for a long while, thinking things over. Of course, he was the boy's guardian, he was supposed to be making sure nothing wrong happened to him that messed with the timeline. This accident had caused more than a simple problem in the timeline, it created a tornado of chaos. He knew he was supposed to fix it and one look at that puppy dog face nearly made him melt. Daniel had grown on the ghost like a nephew or grandson of sorts. He was childish, entertaining and certainly stubborn, but if the boy had an issue, he'd go straight to Clockwork for help. Of course, there were cases he had to use riddles since giving the answer was out of the question since he had to figure it out himself.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to stop making that face," Clockwork chuckled as the boy dropped his pout and smiled. "There's a ghost that works with potions and elixirs. His small lair is sheltered between Frostbite's and Queen Dora's kingdom. It's quite hard to miss. Tell him I sent you. He owes me quite a few things."

Dora smiled. "Thank you, Clockwork. How can we repay you for your generosity?"

Clockwork shook his head. "There's no need, Queen Dora. It's simply an old ghost lending his favorite charge a hand," he answered, running a hand through said charge's thick dark hair. Danny shut an eye and grinned, grabbing a hold of the blue hand when he was finished.

Leaning over towards the queen, Clockwork whispered, "I expect photos."

Dora giggled. "Time Master wishes for photos. Of course, I'll send some."

Danny narrowed his eyes and babbled with irritation. The maids and Dora had been continually taking photos of random times with Danny, capturing the moments. It had been annoying when they practically shoved it in his face, but he understood a woman's urge to take photos of something that only lasted a short amount of time. Memories weren't enough, but photos held every detail.

"We are very grateful that you have assisted us in helping Daniel, Clockwork. Apologizes for the earlier hostility, but you must understood," Vlad said, earning a chuckle from the ghost.

"Of course, Vladimir. I should be the one apologizing, however. Those were horrible memories that shouldn't be brought up a second time," Clockwork said.

"It 'kay," Danny said, giggling slightly.

"Well, I do suppose you three should be heading out. This ghost does not like to be kept waiting," the time ghost said, guiding them towards the exit. "Goodbye, you two. Do get along and no fighting around the baby," he winked, before turning to said child, who pouted up at him. "I tease, Daniel. Old ghosts can do that." Clockwork leaned down and kissed the boy's forehead. "Do be good too, and don't stress them out."

The ghost baby nodded and waved his pudgy hand as Vlad and Dora took off.

* * *

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	8. Potions Master

**Chapter VIII : Potions Master**

After they left Clockwork's lair, Dora and Vlad headed immediately towards the direction of this potion maker. Dora nervously glanced at Danny several times, catching the curious boy's eyes before he smiled reassuringly, the corner of his blanket in his drooling mouth. Though he still had the mentality of a teen, he couldn't help but succumb to the childish actions. He had given up fighting them for he would only embarrass himself further.

Danny wasn't the only one who noticed Dora's anxiety. Vlad saw her head turn and her hands fidget out of the corner of his eye. "What is the matter, Dora?" he questioned, breaking the silence that surrounded them during their flight.

"Oh! I, um," she stuttered, cheeks blushing a dark green with embarrassment. "I-I'm just concerned is all, Mr. Masters."

"Enough with the formalities, Dora, so as long as you remain helping me care for Daniel," the millionaire allowed, giving her a small smile. "Vlad is fine. Now, what concerns you?"

"Alright, well, what if this ghost makes a potion, but he gives us a false one and Daniel somehow ends up with two heads? Or worse, dead!"

Vlad chuckled at her exaggeration, talking like a true mother would, panicking and thinking worse case scenario. "If we use Clockwork's name, I'm sure this ghost wouldn't try anything. He owes Clockwork anyways," he assured, turning his cobalt eyes to the boy in his arms. Danny was half asleep, rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep creeping up on him. "If you are tired, Daniel, rest. We will be there soon."

The mop of jet black hair shook as he attempted to stay awake, sitting up straighter and distracting himself by looking at their surroundings. He refused to sleep when they were so close to the ghost that would help them, at least he really hoped so. If someone owed the great Clockwork a favor, they better own up to it. Danny had learned the hard way when the Time Master asked for a favor and he refused. It wasn't a pleasant memory.

"There it is!" Dora pointed with her finger at the land. It looked like a homeless man's hut, a torn up tent with a put out campfire outside surrounded by woods. There wasn't much to his 'lair' as they landed on the mass of rock and soil. "Hello? Is anyone there?" the queen called.

"Aye, aye! No need to be screaming, love. I'll be with cha in a sec," an Australian accent exclaimed back from inside the tent, but there was no movement against the fabric. Vlad and Dora shared a look as Danny's eyes lit up with recognition at the voice. He squirmed, whining to be put down. Vlad held tighter, hesitant on the ghost. However, his godson protested loudly, yearning to be put down.

"Vlad, maybe you should put him down," Dora insisted. "He won't stop until you do as he wishes."

"Dora, do you understand how dirty it is here? And he's just recovering!" the rich man said.

Dora smiled gently. "Yes, but it seems he knows who Clockwork sent us too."

Danny let out a noise, meaning that he did know and wanted to be put down that second. Vlad sighed, but did so hesitantly, fussing over the child's attire, before allowing him to crawl where he wanted. His crawl was jerkish since he was at the size which a human child would just have learned how to do the action, his muscles too weak. Still, with determination, Danny made loud noises as he entered the tent. The two heard the Australian voice chattering lightly to the baby halfa, excitement and confusion in his words.

A man came out with Danny happily sitting on his hip, clutching at the black cloak he wore. The man, looking around mid-twenties, wore black jeans, shirt and shoes under the cloak. He had pure black hair with a strip of red and solid white eyes. His lips were pulled back in a sweet smile as he mumbled to Danny, gaining giggles as his response.

The man looked to the two. "Well, g'day, mates. What can I do for ya? I don't usually get visitors," he said, then he turned to the baby in his arms. "And I haven't seen you in a long time." He rubbed their noses playfully together.

"If I may ask," Vlad said, catching the ghost's attention, "but who are you?"

The ghost chuckled. "Oh, the names Death." When their eyes widened, he sighed with a grin, expecting the reactions. "Yea, ya get that a lot. Real question is, who are you and what ya doing on my land?" His voice turned serious at the interrogation, eyes narrowing with suspicion. Danny didn't seem to mind the sudden hostility from the ghost holding him as he examined the gems on the elder's cloak that pinned each side together.

"I-I'm Queen Dora, my land is just next door to yours, and this is Vlad Plasmius. W-Well, you see, Mr. Death, Daniel here is in a dangerous situation," Dora started to explain. "He's been rapidly shrinking and growing in different intervals. He hasn't grown in a little while, but we were informed that if he continues to deage, he will cease to exist. We were told that you were an expert in potions and elixirs and could help."

Death hummed, looking down at the curious babe who stared back up at him with large icy eyes. "Always in the worst of situations, aren't cha, Danny Duck?" he questioned rhetorically, but he still received an answer. Danny stuck out his tongue playfully and babbled, but stopped when he realized nothing was getting through to English. He huffed and glared, albeit unsuccessfully, at the ghost. Death chuckled, ruffling the little halfa's black hair. He looked back to the two others.

"We should go inside if you wish to talk more about this situation," Death offered, pulling back the flap from his tent. Dora and Vlad shared another look, before the former shrugged and ducked in. The latter followed, eyeing Death as he entered last. He bumped into the dragon queen, who was looking in awe at the tent. It wasn't the same size as it was on the outside. It was much, _much_ bigger on the inside. There were at least five different corridors, all decorated with carpet, wallpaper, pictures, and decorations.

"Welcome to my home," Death greeted, moving past them and walking down corridor three, chatting idly with Danny. The boy merely listened or moved his head in yes or no when Death asked such a question. The elder turned to the following ghosts. "We're heading to my lab. It's soundproof and all my supplies is there," he announced. His guests didn't reply, but he didn't mind as his attention went back to the baby in his arms.

Once they entered the lab, crossing the threshold of a large metal door with three different locks for security, Vlad was thoroughly impressed by the shelves of stocked liquid and advanced technology for other sciences besides elixirs. He was somewhat envious of how the ghost achieved such equipment. The group rounded a few tables centered in the room until Death stopped at an area where papers and books were scattered, most likely recipes, ingredients in beakers randomly sitting on the desk. It was obviously the space Death worked at by how messy it was, and the office chair.

Death flopped down on the chair and lifted Danny up in the air, the child huffing and kicking his padded feet in annoyance. However, the elder ghost did not let him down that easy, scoffing with a smirk. "Now, how did you get to be this size?" he asked rhetorically under his breath.

"If I may ask, I would like to know how you know Daniel?" Vlad questioned, cutting off Death's curiosity.

Death sat Danny down on the edge of his desk, hand holding his back to stabilize him. Danny shuffled and looked back at all the papers with innocent interest. "I first met Danny after he came into the Ghost Zone for the first time. It was short, but I remembered it vividly. It was the same time he had stepped through that portal and pushed that button. During the time he was electrified, he came to me, frightened and confused. He was even more afraid when I told him I was Death." He chuckled, ruffling the boy's fluffy hair. "He nearly disappeared in shock, but I didn't take his spirit, he was too young and I saw too much potential. I made him what he is.

"A few weeks afterwards, he stumbled upon my hut again and apologized for his foolish actions. After that, he visited every week. He treated me like a normal being, not some spirit that controlled where other spirits go. He became a little brother to me," Death explained.

Dora smiled, clasping her hands in front of her. "That's why you look at him that way." At the raised eyebrow, she giggled, continuing, "Loving, overprotective, teasing. Like he is a fragile glass fixture."

"Oh," Death chuckled, cheeks dusting pink lightly, before it quickly disappeared from his chalky face. His pure white eyes looked towards the baby halfa on his desk, who was teething on Death's black sleeve tiredly. "I, um, had a little sibling before I became what I am. Yea, I wasn't always around, but I have been existing for over a thousand years. I was a hunter-gatherer in the Palaeolithic Age, until a rival clan came and attacked us, taking all the eldest boys. It prevented a leader from rising so they could take over. I died protecting my little sister, who bravely and stupidly stepped up to face them. She didn't want her big brother to die. I guess that's why I look after Danny and do everything I can to make him safe. I don't want to see that again."

"Was there others before Danny?" Dora inquired, floating slightly up as her legs began to tire.

"Not really," Death answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "There were a few ghosts that stuck around, but none of them have visited in awhile. Danny's the first attachment that I deeply care about."

Vlad scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked to the babe in his care, gaining his attention. "And your parents believed ghosts can't have emotions." Danny giggled, realizing how true it was, but how false they were. If Death could feel compassion, then 'Inviso-Bill' could feel glee and sadness.

"Now, going back to the real reason you three are here and not to simply visit me," Death said, changing the subject as he bopped Danny's tiny nose, making the boy scrunch up his face with disdain. "So Danny was shrunk to a baby, but then he continued to shrink, then he grew. Now he's shrinking again until his organs become undeveloped and he dies?" Death summed up quickly.

Vlad nodded. "To put it simply, yes. And we need your help with an elixir."

Death sighed. "As much as I would love to help, I can't. Interfering with such a situation is against what I do."

Dora tilted her head and crossed her arms intimidatingly. "Clockwork sent us. He said you owe him a favor."

The ghost's white eyes widened, before he narrowed them angrily. However, he was not angry at them, but at the Time Master. Just because he saved him from the Observants a few times didn't mean he _owed _him. He sighed through his nose and picked Danny up when he noticed the child trying to get to one of his beakers.

"Alright, I'll help, but only because I have permission and this is for Danny," Death said. Suddenly, a black and white high chair appeared and he plopped Danny right in, belts locking around the child by an unseeable source. Vlad and Dora stepped back as they let the old ghost run around his lab, picking up books and ingredients then put them on the desk next to his regular spot.

The young halfa was given his blanket and he yawned exhaustedly, rubbing his eyes with pudgy fists again. He wanted to stay awake, for Death, for the ghost he called big brother. He hadn't been able to visit the grim reaper due the increase in ghost activity and with his parents and grades things got complicated. Managing his time was awful, and he felt horrible for not taking at least an hour out of his schedule to see his friend.

Death glanced at the little half-ghost, smiling softly. He turned back to his desk. "Cute pajamas, by the way, Danny Duck," he complimented. Danny ducked his head away with embarrassment, cheeks heating up red with a blush. He grumbled incoherent words under his breath.

"Do you have an estimate on how long this will take?" Dora inquired, then realized how rude that sounded. "N-Not to rush or whatnot! I was simply curious and it's getting awfully late and Daniel hasn't had lunch-"

Death's snickering cut her rambling off. "It's fine, Queen Dora. I understand a mother's duty."

The dragon queen's cheeks deepened a rose red. "Oh! No, no, no! I'm not Daniel's mother. I-I'm simply his co-caretaker until he gets back to his normal age," she explained hastily.

He hummed. "Yea, okay, keep saying that, but to answer your question, it won't take me too long. I should have it done in an hour or so. To save you the hassle of journeying for so long with the squirt, I can show you to the kitchen and living room to settle in for the time being. I'd offer a room, but none of them are really prepared for guests since I wasn't expecting. I'll even set a little bed in for Danny Duck so he can have his little nap," Death said, teasing the boy at every chance he could. He elicited a growl from Danny, but it sounded too cute and more like a lion cub than a threatening papa lion.

"Come here, squirt." Death picked up the glaring child, bopping him on the nose to erase that scrunched up face. "Ease up, Danny Duck. You can have your food and nap soon. I'll ease up on the jokes if it annoys you so much."

Danny gave a single, stern nod, then put his head against Death's collarbone as he clutched his blanket sleepily. Death rubbed his hand up and down the child's back and headed out of the lab. "Follow me, my wonderful guests!" he exclaimed.

Once the thousand year old being showed them his fully stocked kitchen and the living room, with a small cradle cot in the corner, he excused himself to finish up the elixir as quick as possible. He didn't know the conditions of the spell or potion put on Danny, but if he was rapidly shrinking, he needed to do something fast. He left said halfa in Dora's arms, planting a kiss to his forehead reassuringly (for himself) and leaving the room without another word. Danny was fed fully and lay sleepily against the dragon queen as his control to stay awake loosened. He eventually succumbed, being set down in his little temporary cot and leaving Dora and Vlad alone in the silence.

The latter was sitting on a separate, single sofa with his head between his knees and his hands on his cranium. He was thinking, long and hard about their situation. Dora didn't know what to do now that Danny was asleep. She certainly didn't want to create an awkward silence or tension between her and the brooding billionaire, so she busied herself with cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. Despite being dead, Dora thought it would be nice for Death to have a few meals as a treat.

Eventually, they heard a small boom and a door crashing open. Immediately, the two were rushing down the hall towards the source of the smoke that rose to the ceiling. They found Death coughing just outside his smoking laboratory. His face was covered in black and grey, safe for around his eyes due to wearing steampunk looking safety goggles. His cloak was tarnished in grey and the hems were frayed.

"Mr. Death!" Dora cried, kneeling down next to him. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Death controlled his wheezing, despite breathing not being a necessity, and grinned sheepishly. "It's just Death, Dora. But bit of a problem with the potion, but…" He pulled out a small vial of white liquid from his inside jacket pocket. "Here's the elixir, but I must warn you. It doesn't reverse the spell in it entirety. He will remain a kid, but the whole reversing-aging thing will stop. He'll continue to grow, fortunately at a faster pace than normal humans."

Vlad took the vial from him and stashed it in his own inside pocket, before helping the elder spirit to his feet. Dora deflated slightly at the news, neither fully good nor fully bad. She had desperately hoped Death had a potion to reverse the whole spell, but it seemed her hopes weren't high enough.

"Is there anything we can do to help you clean up this little… explosion?" Dora offered politely, practically a habit of hers.

Death chuckled, rubbing the back his neck. "Nah. It's okay. I owed Clockwork anyways. Get that little tyke out of here and back home. Sure he really wants to get home. Plus, I got a few orders I need to go through."

Dora smiled and bowed. "Much appreciation from us."

"Yes," Vlad said, giving a sly smirk. "Thank you."

Death nodded. "Anything for Danny Duck. Bring him around any time he wants. I'm always open for him," he offered, before going back into his laboratory. "You know the way out!" he shouted behind him.

Dora giggled before floating down the hallway towards the area they had resided before. Vlad followed behind her, allowing the queen time to wake up Danny. He waited at the front of the larger on the inside hut outside impatiently. He simply wanted to give Danny the potion and hand him off to his sister and friends to deal with. He was officially done with the whole parenting spiel. He finally understood why many people warned him about having kids and the precautions he had to take. Even with a child with the mentality of a fifteen year old, he didn't want to deal with it any longer. He changed his mind on having kids.

Dora exited the tent with a gleaming smile and a sleepy Danny on her hip. His hair flying everywhere and his blanket lay draped over his shoulders with a corner in his hand. His glaze blue eyes stared up at Vlad, who scoffed and turned his back.

"Let's go," he commanded, taking off to the sky swiftly.

Dora frowned, but braced the child in her arms and followed him. Once she gained enough speed and flew by Vlad's side, she noticed the crinkled forehead and blazing eyes. "Vlad, what is the matter?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with, my dear," he answered bitterly sweet. "Once we get back to the portal, we'll give him the potion and afterwards, you will drop him off with his sister. I'm sure she's greatly worried for his whereabouts."

Dora stopped suddenly in the air and it took awhile before Vlad noticed he received no response and there wasn't anyone next to him. He raised a brow and turned around, finding Dora floating in the air with her face pinched with fury and her jaw clenched tightly. Danny looked up at her with concern, having never seen his mother figure so vexed before, but he knew Vlad screwed up when he said he'd be dumped off to his sister, who had no clue what to do with a halfa baby. Unlike the two and a half ghosts present.

"Vlad Plasmius, need I remind you who started this whole situation by confiding in a wishing ghost and telling her all his desires to have Daniel as a son. Need I tell you that you are his only hope in this problem because it is all your fault. You will not abandon the boy you wanted so badly simply because it's difficult. You will be this boy's guardian and parent. You will raise him like a normal father until he is old enough to go back to his normal life. You will not leave a seventeen year old girl and two fifteen year olds to deal with this themselves."

By the end, Dora was fuming out of her ears, breaths came out in huffs, and her green face was a deeper shade on her cheeks. Her grip on the halfa child in her arms was tighter and he grew overwhelmed by her sudden dominating aura. He was proud of her at the same time, but she stood up to _Vlad_ of all people. Someone who could easily take her down with simple threats, but Dora looked fiercer and stronger than she did before.

It was as if their characteristics switched. Vlad was shocked and suddenly nervous and fidgeting. He couldn't meet the queen's eyes.

"Dora, listen. There's are some things that shouldn't-"

She cut him off. "Don't you dare give me any excuse as to why you are suddenly abandoning a boy you used to want so badly you'd kill to get him. You are going to be an adult and take care of Daniel, for both your sakes."

Vlad turned his dark eyes towards the boy being talking about. He was quite calm in the furious queen's arm, picking at his blanket. Then his own glistening, ocean eyes met the older halfas and Vlad practically broke internally. He remained neutral externally, as to not seem weak, and sighed defeated.

"Alright, I will be his surrogate father until further notice. For now, let's get him home and give him this elixir to start the progress," he said, taking off again into the green-black swirling skies.

Dora and Danny shared a look, the latter looked a little concerned for his godfather and Dora was confused by the lack of persuasion the most manipulative human and ghost needed. She quickly followed him before she lost sight of him. "Even if he has a bad reputation, I cannot help but feel concerned for him."

Danny hummed and snuggled into her chest. He hadn't had much of a nap and was still very tired, especially with the lack of sleep from the night before.

"Right. Off back to the mansion with that vial and some sleep for you, young Daniel. Cannot have you getting sicker," the green skinned ghost scolded gently, earning a sheepish giggle from the boy.

* * *

**GOOD NEWS**

**I got some inspiration and actually planned this story. Yay! Hopefully, I'll have this story finished before school ends. At least, that's my goal.**

**Reviews, opinions, and suggestions are always great. Please continue.**

**If something looks wrong, PLEASE INFORM ME. PLEASE, POR FAVOR, S'IL VOUS PLAÎT, PER FAVORE.**

**Thanks, chers!**


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